“Although it is not illegal to set some types of snare, the RSPCA is opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all varieties, as they are one of the most cruel and indiscriminate killers of wild and domestic animals.”

Inspector Anforth said he was investigating reports the two cats were not the only victims.

He said: “Snares have been traditionally used as a method of pest control, but in reality they inflict suffering at random on a wide variety of animals. Snares cannot discriminate between species, and any animal that moves through the noose is a potential victim.

“It is only by luck that the two cats caught in Wheatley Lane were not seriously injured.

The charity said a snared animal is usually caught by the neck, but it may also be trapped by a leg or round the body.

Inspector Anforth went on: “Once caught, the animal panics and struggles to free itself. The more it struggles, the tighter the noose becomes. The tighter the noose, the greater the animal’s pain and suffering. The RSPCA urges people to seek more humane alternatives to setting snares.”

There are laws governing the use of snares and it is illegal to set snares for birds, deer or badgers.

In 1981, the Wildlife and Countryside Act made it compulsory for users of all forms of snare to take “all reasonable precautions” to prevent injury to protected animals.

It is also a legal requirement that snares should be checked at least once a day.

Anyone with information about the snares in the Wheatley Lane area can contact inspector Anforth on the 24-hour number 08705 555 999. Calls are charged at the national rate and are treated in strictest confidence.

NASC

The National Anti Snaring Campaign is the UK’s leading animal welfare organisation campaigning against the sale and manufacture of animal snares. We also aim to increase public awareness of the cruelty of snares.